![\"\"](\"http:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Sharon-Harrington-2016-300x225.jpg\" "\\"Sharon-Harrington-2016\\"")
An ethics complaint was filed Thursday against Lee County Supervisor of Elections Sharon Harrington claiming she spent $201,923 in radio advertisements to promote her re-election.<\/p>\nAn ethics complaint was filed Thursday against Lee County Supervisor of Elections Sharon Harrington claiming she spent $201,923 in radio advertisements to promote her re-election.<\/p>\n
Lee County State Committeeman Chris Crowley, who submitted the complaint to the Florida Commission on Ethics, points to the exponential spending since Harrington was re-elected.<\/p>\n
Since her re-election in 2012, Harrington spent $67,028 in radio advertising in 2014, then scaled back to a budget of $33,179 in 2015. That means Harrington\u2019s office had more than a 600 percent increase in yearly spending on radio advertisements for 2016.<\/p>\n
Harrington defended the spending on Oct. 28, saying the radio spots were crucial to voter education.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s called voter education and we used radio, television, print media, and social media to get the message out there,\u201d she said in a written statement.<\/p>\n
But Crowley\u2019s complaint claims that her office had no funds budgeted for radio advertising in 2012 when she was unopposed for re-election.<\/p>\n
Some of the radio spots begin with \u201cHere\u2019s a voting tip from the office of Sharon Harrington, Lee County Supervisor of Elections\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Crowley contends the ads are a misuse of taxpayer money.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time I turn on my radio, there is another taxpayer funded advertisement from the Lee County Supervisor of Elections\u2019 office that specifically mentions Sharon Harrington\u2019s name,\u201d the complaint reads. \u201cHave no problem with public service announcements that encourage citizens to register and vote, but I do have a problem with the Supervisor of Elections promoting her re-election via taxpayer funded announcements.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee County voters noticed the large bill, which towers in comparison to spending in other counties. Collier County, for example, spent less than $8,000 on radio ads.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo we get to vote on that? Do we get to vote on how our money is spent for radio advertising?\u201d Julia Kahn, who lives in Lee County, said on Oct. 28 when WINK News uncovered Harrington\u2019s latest fiscal budget.<\/p>\n
But few voters questioned the mention of Harrington\u2019s name in the ads.<\/p>\n
Harrington maintains that the use of her name as an elected official is not unordinary.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving an ad start by saying that it was a message from me is not unusual when we are talking about the Supervisor of Elections. It\u2019s not any different than an ad with Sheriff Scott saying, \u2018Hi, this is your Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott with a message about drinking and driving.\u2019 she said. \u201cI\u2019m the office holder and the elected official.\u201d<\/p>\n